One of the youngest of the thirteen civilians shot dead in the Bogside area of Derry on Bloody Sunday almost 30 years ago, fell to the ground "like a puppet" after he'd been gunned down.
Gerald Donaghy (17), who was released from a six month term for rioting in the Bogside six weeks before he was shot dead, was hit in the lower abdomen after he fled from advancing Paratroopers into the Glenfada Park North/Abbey Park area.
The teenager's death was witnessed by Mr Gerry McCauley, who told the 173rd day of the Inquiry, chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate, that he'd seen Mr Donaghy, who was an orphan, falling close to victim Mr Gerry McKinney.
Mr McCauley, who had taken refuge in a nearby house, said neither Mr Donaghy nor thirty-five-year-old father of six Mr McKinney, had their hands in the air when shot.
"I could not see where the shots came from. They were not doing anything which should have caused them to be shot. They had nothing in their hands and they were not even running", he told the Inquiry's three judges.
"When he was shot the cub (Donaghy) waved his hands in the air, his legs jerked and he fell to the ground. He looked just like a puppet. The man went just straight down. The wee lad started falling first but because the man fell straight to the ground he hit the ground first", he said.
Mr McCauley said he left the house and went out to the fatally injured men. "I went to the man first who was lying on the steps. He was dead. No-one was with him", he said.
"I moved towards the cub. He was groaning", he said.
The witness said he bent over the wounded youth.
"I had a rough idea that the cub was still alive. His face was pure white. A stout man in a blue anorak came towards me. I do not know where he came from. As he approached I was aware the soldiers were still there.
"I tried to lift the boy but he groaned. As I did not want to hurt him I put him down. There was blood on my right hand, my left hand was wet", he said.
"Mr McCauley said he and the other man lifted Mr Donaghy and carried him towards a nearby house.
"The door opened and we took him in. We put him on the floor. He did not groan but his teeth started chattering. Someone put a spoon in his mouth to stop the chattering. Prayers were said and someone gave him a Rosary", he added.
Mr Donaghy's body was later photographed by police officers inside a car taking the fatally injured youth to hospital. The photographs show a number of nail bombs protruding from Mr Donaghy's pockets, but Mr McCauley said he saw no nail bombs on Mr Donaghy.
"If there had been anything in the boy's pockets, I would have seen it. They were wee tight pants. There is definitely no way that the nail bombs shown in the photographs were there," he said.
PA